A Shafter man arrested for the murder of 2-year-old Guillermo Gonzalez made his first court appearance Wednesday.

Charges against 32-year-old Josue Herrera were postponed a week to give the public defender time to make sure there are no conflicts in representing him.

Herrera was babysitting Gonzalez - his girlfriend's son - Saturday when the boy suffered severe head trauma, according to Shafter Police and the Kern County Sheriff's Office.

The head trauma killed the child, according to the coroner's office.

Gonzalez died Sunday at Valley Children's Hospital of Central California in Madera. He was the only child of 21-year-old Sabrina Romero of Wasco.

After babysitting the boy for a while, Herrera allegedly took him to his mother at her work - Towne and Country Liquor Store on Highway 46 in Wasco - and told her that the child suffered a slip-and-fall accident and could not be revived. The boy's mother then called 911.

Doctors and law enforcement officials allege that Gonzalez was assaulted, contrary to Herrera's assertion that the toddler accidentally fell.

Herrera has a criminal record dating back to 1994, according to county court records.

While his family has vocally defended him, Herrera has been charged in the past with spousal abuse, driving under the influence of alcohol, unlawful sexual intercourse and hit-and-run.

He's currently on three-years probation for spousal abuse.